Refrigerator drip pan



. 31,1935. w. B. MCMILLAN REFRIGERATOR DRIP PAN Filed Feb. 10, 1934 Patented Dec. 31, 1935 l UNITED STATE-s PATENT OFFICE.

` EEFRIGERATOR DRH PAN william Benton McMillan, st. Louis, Mo., assigner to Hussmann-Ligonier Company, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Delaware Appucatmnrebmary 1o, 1934, serial No. 710,630 y s claims. (ci. liz-s) My invention relates to refrigerator drip pansA coil C is mounted on the top wall B by means and more particularly toi such pans as used with of suitable fixtures, such as brackets D and D', refrigerant coils included in cooling units of the which are supported by bolts E and which are mechanical type. A adapted to clamp the coil firmly in place.

' With cooling coils it is necessary to provide a Also, suspended from the top walll B, in thisl pan below the coil tocollect moisture condensed embodiment, is a drip pan generally indicated by on the coil when the warmer air in the refrigthe character F. The pan F is carried by arms erator being cooled comes in contact withthe cold G mounted on suitable studs H and comprises an surfaces ofthe coil. 'I'hese drip pans, as hereupper part consisting oi a pair of plates J spaced 10 tofore used, were imperforate plates supported apartat their adjacent edges and a lower part K l0 directly from the coil by any 'suitable metal provided with a plurality of elongated openings L bracket and, therefore, the drip pan due to the arranged as hereinafter described. The two parts conductivity of the brackets was maintained at of the drip pan F are maintained in fixed relaa temperature almost as low as that of the coil tion by a plurality of blocks M, preferablyof so that air in the refrigerator coming in contact non-conducting material.- The partsfof the pan with the pan would lose more of its moisture are preferably inclined downwardly towards thecontent than was lost on the cooling coil. In center thereof, as clearly shown in' Fig. l, so that refrigerators as now being manufactured the. a sump will \be formed in which moisture dripcooling coil is usually placed at the top\'or other Vping on the pan will collect. Theu moisture so l point above the bottom of the storage compartcollected drains from the refrigerator through 20 ment so that as the air in the storage comparta drain pipe N leading to' a suitable place of ment is cooled by the coil it falls downwardly discharge. The outer side edges of the "plates J, onto the foodstuffs and convection currents are the Asimilar edges-of the low'er part K and the maintained. When the imperfo'rate drip pans, as bounding edges of the openings L, preferably, are 20 heretofore used, were mounted on the cooling provided with longitudinally extending up-turned' 2.5 coil so as to have a conductive connection there- A flanges O. Likewise, the adjacent edges 0f the with, as describedabove, twol major deciencies plates J are provided with downwardly extendof structure, among others, resulted; first, since ing flanges 0. the temperature of the pan was low moisture The plates J are spaced apart, as described would condense thereon and then drip onto the above, to provide a longitudinally extending 0 foodstuffs and onto the walls of the storage comopening therebetween through which moisture partment and second, the convection currents may pass and through which air may ow downwere impaired by the imperforate pan mounted wardly from the coil. The openings L in the directly belOW the Coil. lower part K of-l the pan are positioned out oi The objects of my invention are to provide a register with the space between the plates J so drip pan of the kind described which is insulated the pan will collect all moisture dripping from from the cooling coil and to provide a pan the coil, but will allow afree downward movement which allows free movement of the air downof air. 'y v 40 Wardly frOm the C011. While in the accompanying drawing the pan is 40 One embodiment of my invention is shown in insulated from the coil by being mountedsepathe accompanying drawing wherein similar charrately therefrom, if desirable, the pan may be actersare used to designate similar parts: Fig. 1 mounted directly on the coil by means lof suitis a partial crosssection of a refrigerator show able insulated brackets or `fixtures. Due to the 45 casefincluding a coil and a drip pan made acproximity of the plates J to the cooling coil, these cording to my teachings; Fig. 251s a longitudinal plates may be cooled slightly, but the lower part K section along the lines 2-2 in Fig. 1;'Flg. 3 is of the pan as it is insulated from the plateswlll a view along the lines 3-4 in Fig. 1;I Fig. 4 is a 4be at substantially the temperature of the au' in view along the lines 4 4 in Fig. 1; and Figs. 5 the storage compartment and little or no moisture x and 6 show modified details of construction of will be condensed on the lower surfaces thereof.

, the plm.A However, in some instances,- it will not be neces- Referring' to the figures the cabinet A of the sary to insulate the two parts of the pan from refrigerator has suspended from the top wall B each other and in such event a single bracket G', thereof a cooling. coil C of usual design and .as shown in Fig. 5, may be used to support both 5 adapted to be intermittently supplied with'a coolparts of the pan. 55-

` 5 ing agent from a compressor, not shown. The With the use of my new and improved pan, as

described and shown herein, the deficiencies of structure heretofore present will be obviated; the

pan will not be cooled to any appreciable extent, all condensationA from the coil will be collected and a free downward movement of air from the coil will be allowed. The flanges O will prevent moisture from passing over the edges of the various parts of the pan and the flanges O will allow the moisture to drip from the plates J into the sump formed by the lower part K. l

It should be understood distinctly Vthat although I have shown only one embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to this showing because the size, shape, position and arrangement of the various parts may be varied within wide limits without deviating from theA spirit of my invention asincluded in the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is:-

1. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan mounted out of thermal contact with said coil whereby said pan is not directly cooled thereby and said pan comprising a plurality of parts arranged in different planes and insulated from one another and each adapted to collect condensation from said coil. 2. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan mounted out of thermal contact with said coil whereby said pan is not directly cooled thereby* and said pan comprising a plurality of parts arrangedin different planes and said parts each having openings therethrough with an opening in one part being out of register with the openings in the other part whereby said pan will collect conthrough and a lower part having a plurality of openings out of register with the opening in said upper part whereby free movement of air downwardly from said coil will be allowed.

5. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan mounted out of thermal contact with said coil, said pan comprising an upper part and a lower part insulated from one another, and said parts having non-registering openings therethrough to allow free movement of air downwardly from said coil.

6. In combination with a refrigerator having 'a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of av drip pan separately mounted from said coil, said pan comprising an upper part and a lower part having non-registering openings therethrough to allow free movement of air downwardly from said coil and said lower part being arranged to form a sump to collect moisture from said coil.

'7. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan separately mounted from said coil, said pan comprising an upper part having an elongated opening therethrough and a lower part having a plurality of openings out of register with the opening in said upper -part whereby free, movement of air downwardly from said coil will be allowed.

8. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned therein above the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan separately mounted from said coil, said pan 'comprising an upper part and a lower part insulated 'from one another and said upper part having an elongated opening therethrough and said lower part having aplurality of openings out of register with the opening in said upper part, said lower part being arranged to form a sump to collect condensation from said coil.

9. In combination with a refrigerator having a cooling coil positioned in the storage compartment thereof of a drip pan `mounted out of thermal contact with said coil whereby said pan is not directly cooled thereby and said pan coml5 opening therethrough to allow movement of air 50 downwardly from said coil through said pan.

W. BENTON MCMILLAN. 

